Return to the great indoors

[Gizzy]

Even your Playmo figures look typically Swiss....

 

[idlemarvel]

Thanks Gizzy. In theory the Playmobil beer drinker is Bavarian but looks Swiss to me:
Traditional family - 6395 - PLAYMOBIL® United Kingdom

The hiker is from this set:
Hiking Family - 6536 - PLAYMOBIL® United Kingdom

 

[playmofire]

Great photos, Dave, and good use of Playmobil .

In the fourth photo, is that some sort of manual uncoupler? I have a couple of pieces of track with a manual uncouple like so:

1 x Vintage LGB G Gauge 1050W Manual Decoupler, Boxed, Lehmann #1 | eBay

Find great deals for 1 x Vintage LGB G Gauge 1050W Manual Decoupler, Boxed, Lehmann #1. Shop with confidence on eBay!

www.ebay.co.uk

But I've never seen a piece similar to the oone in your photo. Is it a Dave creation?

 

[idlemarvel]

Great photos, Dave, and good use of Playmobil .

In the fourth photo, is that some sort of manual uncoupler? I have a couple of pieces of track with a manual uncouple like so:

1 x Vintage LGB G Gauge 1050W Manual Decoupler, Boxed, Lehmann #1 | eBay

Find great deals for 1 x Vintage LGB G Gauge 1050W Manual Decoupler, Boxed, Lehmann #1. Shop with confidence on eBay!

www.ebay.co.uk

But I've never seen a piece similar to the one in your photo. Is it a Dave creation?

Thanks P playmofire It is just a standard LGB automatic uncoupler with the motor removed and an LGB manual switch in its place.

 

[playmofire]

Thanks P playmofire It is just a standard LGB automatic uncoupler with the motor removed and an LGB manual switch in its place.

A good piece of original thinking there, Dave.

 

[dunnyrail]

Thanks Gizzy. In theory the Playmobil beer drinker is Bavarian but looks Swiss to me:
Traditional family - 6395 - PLAYMOBIL® United Kingdom

The hiker is from this set:
Hiking Family - 6536 - PLAYMOBIL® United Kingdom

Looking at those PM figures I reckon a small repaint could lift their fidelity to a large degree.

 

[idlemarvel]

Thanks JonD. I didn't think I'd ever see "Playmobil" and "fidelity" in the same sentence!

I have no pretence with regard to realistic scenery on my indoor layouts. The odd building, signals and other trackside furniture is as far as it goes. I greatly admire those that do that sort of thing and the results of their work but it's not for me. With this in mind football-headed stiff limbed miniature figures work very well! My only concession to reality has been to paint the blue policeman uniform black to make it look more like a railway official.

 

[dunnyrail]

Thanks JonD. I didn't think I'd ever see "Playmobil" and "fidelity" in the same sentence!

I have no pretence with regard to realistic scenery on my indoor layouts. The odd building, signals and other trackside furniture is as far as it goes. I greatly admire those that do that sort of thing and the results of their work but it's not for me. With this in mind football-headed stiff limbed miniature figures work very well! My only concession to reality has been to paint the blue policeman uniform black to make it look more like a railway official.

Ah you have forgotten this thread.

So You Think Postman Pat Is Toylike And Not Worthy Of A Place On Your Line?

So on my day out yesterday I visited Ikea at MK. Nohing much hit me for the Railway, I did not find the Solar LED Lighting I was looking for. So I decided to look in the Giant Asda next door. Big Toy Section, some Playmobil but nothing if interest. Then I saw a couple of wayward Postman Pat...

www.gscalecentral.net

 

[idlemarvel]

One of the good things about having an indoor layout that isn't glued, nailed or concreted into place is that you can change it easily when you get bored. Here is my latest incarnation:



I have gone for a terminus station with a (very short) run around with an interchange between German and Swiss narrow gauge, the Swiss being RhB under catenary. With a layout this size I can take it apart and put it together in a half day. I'm getting quite good at assembling catenary now! This layout is all R1, the R2/R3 is going to have to wait until I have time to reconfigure the shed.

The reed switches shown in blue trigger points 1 and 2 so that the RhB locos (with magnets underneath) stay on the track with overhead lines. I wrote up how to do this in another thread recently. The points reset after 30 seconds so the other German steam and diesel traffic can use the rest of the layout.

Trains have to be quite short - one 4 axle carriage or 2 x 2 axle - but plenty of operating and careful shunting required to perform the run-arounds. On the RhB line one loco brings the train into the station, another one comes to take it out again. Not very efficient but it's my railway. A few pictures below.

 

[dunnyrail]

Great stuff, overhead with pans up!

 

[playmofire]

Having one loco bring the train into the station and another take it out may not be efficient but I have come across an example where that was real life practice, although I can't remember where. The drill was that loco A brought the train into the station. Loco B was waiting on a spur siding and trundled out to couple up with the non-loco end of the train. Meanwhile loco A had been uncoupled and it due course loco B trundled off with the train, after which loco A toddled off to the spur siding to wait to repeat the process when the next train came in. At least you're doing this on an electric line; the line I read about was steam!

 

[Madman]

Breezing through your thread, I would like to compliment you on your work. Simple is certainly more manageable. I will keep that in mind as I build my "O" gauge Lionel post-war type layout in my attic in the not too distant future.

Since I also have a good sized collection of LGB trains, I am working on a design to include some of them on the indoor layout.

 

[rhaetianfan]

Looks good, Dave - plenty of operational challenge in a small space.

Now, if only you had hung onto the RhB ABe4/4, it would have simplified operations....

M

 

[idlemarvel]

Looks good, Dave - plenty of operational challenge in a small space.

Now, if only you had hung onto the RhB ABe4/4, it would have simplified operations....

M

Yes I do regret selling that. One day when I have done my shed extension I will have more space to do one justice.

 

[idlemarvel]

Breezing through your thread, I would like to compliment you on your work. Simple is certainly more manageable. I will keep that in mind as I build my "O" gauge Lionel post-war type layout in my attic in the not too distant future.

Since I also have a good sized collection of LGB trains, I am working on a design to include some of them on the indoor layout.

Thanks Madman I do like to keep it small and manageable as I am very prone to ripping it all up and starting again!

 

[voodoopenguin]

Interesting to see what is possible in a small (for G) space. My railway shed is 7' 6" across internally which looks to be the same as your own. At present it is still mostly storage but slowly I am cutting back on the various gauges I play with. The entrance is at one end and I have constructed a 2' deep work surface all the way round in a horseshoe. Once I manage to clear a bit more of the surface the idea is to have a moveable bridging section going from one side to the other to allow temporary circuits to be laid. They would always be loose lay and originally I was thinking I would alternate between my 50s and 60s Tri-ang OO, my Lima and Tri-ang Big Big O gauge and some of my other oddities like the various Faller running on 32mm track. Now I see that I can add in a nice little G scale layout occasionally. The moveable bridging section will slide to whatever position I want meaning the other dimension can be variable. Copying your plan (if I may!) I can place it at 6'. I am assuming your squares are a foot, if not I will have to do a rethink.

Paul

 

[idlemarvel]

The squares are 300mm which is a foot give or take.

 

[dunnyrail]

Looking at your plan, have you thought about overhead on the full loop, then you could do a few circuits from the fiddle yard to the terminting line so that you feel like you have had a journey?

 

[idlemarvel]

Thanks for the idea. In a previous incarnation of the layout (see post #40) I had a complete circuit of catenary, but I found it got in the way physically and visually so I'm keeping it to lines at the back of the layout for now. It is a bit frustrating not being able to let the electric locos have a spin, but with a layout this small compromise is the name of the game.

 

[idlemarvel]

I've been experimenting with a "second layer" to my indoor layout to see if it fits in the vertical space. This doesn't go anywhere, it's just scenic. Ultimately the plan is to have a small circuit at that height, disappearing in and out of tunnels or behind "hills". The arches/bridges are 240mm high and the "walls" 300mm. I don't have space to connect the two layers with any feasible gradient, although I have pondered about having a short rack section between the levels, but that's for another day. The experimentation was also related to the build. My main baseboard is 9mm ply on 28mmx75mm bearers. I thought that might be a bit heavy on top so the upper layer was made with 6mm ply supported by 3mm ply "walls" so I could bend them into R1 curves. This is a bit flimsy so it needs bracing at regular intervals. Even so, although it will support the weight of locos, when they run it wobbles a bit, so I need to rethink the construction. But I think I have shown to myself that it can be done, just need to go back to the drawing board with the design.